Artemis's Confession
by HermioneGirl96
Summary: A conversation between Artemis and Holly taking place directly after the end of their last conversation in Artemis Fowl: The Atlantis Complex. Holly wants to get to the bottom of what Orion said about loving her, but she's not prepared for what she hears.


**Disclaimer: I don't own Artemis or Holly or anything quite as awesome.**

**A/N: If you've read the story before, scroll to the bottom. **

Holly shook her head impatiently. "I hate building bivouacs, and Trouble Kelp is not my boyfriend. Though that reminds me, Artemis: we should talk."

Artemis lifted an eyebrow. "But we are already talking."

"I meant about recent events, rather than about whether or not I have a boyfriend."

Artemis nodded. "Yes. We should talk, Captain."

"Captain?" Holly asked, looking into Artemis's eyes. "Artemis, you hardly need to-"

Artemis shook his head, looking angry with himself. "I know that. Sorry, Holly."

Holly sighed. "All right. It's okay, Arty. I wanted to ask you . . . " She looked away, reddening. "That Orion fellow—he seemed to think that the two of you shared not only a body and memories but also—"

"A passion for you," Artemis finished, his pale face flushing dully. He wound his hands in his sheets to hide that they were shaking—and not only from Atlantis Complex, either. He wanted to flee Holly's penetrating gaze, but he could not let the four-word sentence stand, so he added, "Yes."

Only Holly's extensive LEP training in masking one's emotions kept her from gasping and otherwise registering her surprise. "It's true? You . . . ?"

"Yes, it is true, Holly," Artemis admitted. Then he plunged ahead, forcing himself to stop counting words. Surely a passion as strong as his could triumph over Atlantis Complex, at least for a few minutes. "I admire you, Holly. You never give up, no matter what life throws at you. You can do so many things, so well—pilot shuttles, defeat armies of goblins, figure out the right course of action no matter how complicated the situation is. You're _amazing_. Next to you, I'm so pathetic. I can't even run a mile. Sure, I'm a genius, but what is that worth compared to your many, more practical talents?"

_Artemis, expounding? And complimenting someone else while downplaying his own worth? Either Atlantis Complex has driven him completely mad, or what he's feeling is more serious than I realized_, Holly marveled.

Getting no response, Artemis forged on desperately. "I tell myself it's hopeless—I've wronged you and your people too many times—but sometimes, when you look at me, there's something in your eyes that makes me still want to believe."

"You don't sound like yourself, Artemis," Holly said sharply to conceal her shock. "Do you feel all right? Maybe you should rest."

"No!" Artemis nearly shouted. He needed to continue _now_, while he still had the willpower to say what he needed to say regardless of the word count. Already he could see the fours dancing before him. "No, I must continue. Holly, I'm sorry. I'm sorry for kidnapping you when I was twelve—except, if I hadn't, I wouldn't have met you, so then I'm not sorry. I'm really sorry for all the times I've put you at risk, made you disobey orders, nearly gotten you killed, and gotten you into trouble. I'm sorry for Root and Vinyáya and . . . " He couldn't go on.

"I know, Artemis," Holly murmured. "I know. Guilt is what drove you to this. Of course you're sorry." She pushed a stray strand of hair off of Artemis's forehead, unaware of just how much pleasure this soft touch gave the human boy. "When did this start?"

Artemis considered the question. "The first time the words 'I love her' surfaced unbidden in my brain was when you blasted that hole in that coin you gave me, after I'd completely bungled my attempt to express my thanks." Fours were everywhere.

"You love me, Mud Boy?" Holly inquired.

Artemis winced as though in physical pain at the sound of the degrading nickname. "From you, Holly, that hurts." His hands were shaking, and it now took considerable discipline to keep himself from hyperventilating.

Holly was more concerned for her friend than she let on. "Sorry, Artemis. Do you love me?"

Artemis no longer trusted his voice. He nodded, looking more at his sheets than at the fairy at his bedside.

Holly needed some time to sort out her feelings. She definitely thought of Artemis as a close friend, but, when they'd met, he'd been twelve and she had been in her eighties. However, years held different sway over fairies than over humans, so perhaps this was not as significant as it seemed. There was also the matter of the recent, disastrous sequence of events that had just played out as a result of Turnball Root's concern for his human wife, which hardly boded well for another human-fairy pairing. Then there was Holly's deep concern for Artemis's well-being—she'd always thought she was acting as a sort of surrogate mother for Artemis, being the adult female in his life capable of looking after him, providing emotional support, and keeping him alive. But was she really acting maternal, or was there more to her feelings than that? Now was not the time for Holly to figure this out, now with Artemis glancing anxiously at her and shaking. "You need to sleep, Artemis. Foaly's got plenty of sedatives in you, so all you need to do is relax, all right?"

Artemis twitched distrustfully.

Holly sighed. "Look into my eyes." This took some effort on the boy's part, but eventually Holly _mesmer_ized him to sleep. Then she crossed the room to sit heavily in its only comfortable chair, where she settled down to think.

**A/N: This is an updated version of the story. I'm updating to let everyone know that this is a one-shot. There isn't going to be a sequel, and having a story alert isn't going to do you any good, because this story over. I'm flattered that people want the narrative to continue, but I wanted to end the story the way I did, and, despite being asked to write another chapter, I won't. I'm sorry if that offends you. I just thought I'd tell you so that those of you with story alerts aren't offended that the story doesn't continue and those of you who are reading it for the first time don't start hoping for a sequel. I'm glad if you liked it enough to want to read more, but this is all there is. **


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